The present invention relates to devices for dying hair in general, and in particular, to a portable hair dye dispenser which employs a removable cartridge to contain and dispense the dye.
It is known to provide a comb or brush-like device for manual application of hair dye. Examples of such devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,457,928 to Kurshenoff, U.S. Pat. No. 4,592,376 to Sigmond et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,297,882 to Kornides. Each of these devices includes a squeezable reservoir containing hair dye. Pressure applied manually to the reservoir is intended to force the dye along a conduit to a brush-like dispenser where it is released onto the hair.
Squeeze-action devices of this type suffer from a number of disadvantages. Firstly, the pressure which can be comfortably applied by the hand is generally not sufficient to force hair dyes which are typically quite viscous along the conduit and out through the dispensing openings. Even if the dye can be dispensed in this way, the rate of dispensing is typically irregular, varying with the instantaneous amount of pressure applied. Furthermore, a high level of coordination and expertise is required to apply and spread the dye while squeezing hard on the container. Finally, the reservoir and conduit have a relatively large xe2x80x9cdead spacexe2x80x9d from which dye cannot be expelled by squeezing. This leads to wastage of a large amount of the dye, and renders the devices difficult to clean.
An alternative approach is suggested by U.S. Pat. No. 5,333,627 to Mehringer. Mehringer provides a syringe-type device in which a plunger is advanced by a finger-operated lever. The plunger forces dye towards an expulsion base which is formed with a number of dispensing channels. A removable dispenser head with a brush or sponge spreading device is mounted on the expulsion base so as to align with the dispensing channels.
The device of Mehringer offers a partial solution to some of the aforementioned problems, providing more controllable dispensing and less wastage than the squeeze-action devices described above. However, the device is still awkward to use, requiring simultaneous finger operation of the lever and spreading movement through the hair. This awkward operation is further aggravated by the long structure of the syringe body which must be held sticking outwards from the head throughout use of the device, plus the single straight row of dispensing channels which requires careful alignment of the device perpendicular to the spreading direction. Additionally, the channels of the integral expulsion base of the Mehringer device are difficult to clean and are therefore prone to becoming clogged with dye left over from previous use of the device.
There is therefore a need for a compact and easy to use hair dye dispenser which employs a replaceable cartridge to contain and dispense the dye, thereby minimizing wastage and minimizing cleaning.
The present invention is a hair dye dispenser which employs a removable cartridge to contain and dispense the dye.
According to the teachings of the present invention there is provided, a hair dye dispenser for dispensing a fluid hair dye, the dispenser comprising: (a) a dispensing container for containing and dispensing the hair dye, the dispensing container having a base and at least one side wall sealingly attached to or integrally formed with the base so as to define an internal volume of the dispensing container, the base being formed with an upper surface which is substantially flat and with a lower surface which is formed with a plurality of projecting tines, at least one dispensing aperture being formed through the base; (b) a piston configured to fit closely in sliding abutment with the at least one side wall so as to be sealingly slidable towards the base; (c) a housing formed with a socket, the socket being configured for removably receiving the dispensing container; and (d) an actuation mechanism associated with the housing, the actuation mechanism being configured to displace the piston towards the base, thereby dispensing the hair dye through the at least one dispensing aperture.
According to a further feature of the present invention, the actuation mechanism includes a conversion mechanism for converting a unidirectional rotational input to a reciprocating linear displacement, the conversion mechanism being configured such that, for a given rate of rotation of the rotational input, a speed of the reciprocating linear displacement is asymmetric, motion in a first direction being at least one order of magnitude slower than motion in an opposite direction.
According to a further feature of the present invention, the conversion mechanism includes a ratchet-toothed collar, and a tracer collar mounted coaxially with, and rotatable relative to, the ratchet-toothed collar such that relative rotation of the tracer collar relative to the ratchet-toothed collar generates the asymmetric reciprocating linear movement in an axial direction. The ratchet-toothed collar preferably features at least three ratchet teeth. The tracer collar preferably features ratchet-teeth so as to complement the ratchet-toothed collar.
According to a further feature of the present invention, the actuation mechanism further includes an electric motor connected so as to provide the rotational input.
According to a further feature of the present invention, the actuation mechanism further includes a sensor deployed to provide an end-of-cycle output indicative of the conversion mechanism reaching a predefined point in the cycle of the reciprocating linear displacement, the actuation mechanism being responsive to the end-of-cycle output to interrupt operation of the motor.
According to a further feature of the present invention, there is also provided a storage container configured for storing at least one component of the hair dye in a sealed manner, the storage container being configured for removable attachment to the dispensing container in a manner to allow release of the at least one component from the storage container into the dispensing container.
There is also provided according to the teachings of the present invention, a hair dye dispenser for dispensing a fluid hair dye, the dispenser comprising: (a) a dispensing container for containing and dispensing the hair dye, the dispensing container having a base and at least one side wall sealingly attached to or integrally formed with the base so as to define an internal volume of the dispensing container, the base being formed with an upper surface which is substantially flat and with a lower surface which is formed with a plurality of projecting tines, at least one dispensing aperture being formed through the base; (b) a piston configured to fit closely in sliding abutment with the at least one side wall so as to be sealingly slidable towards the base; and (c) an actuation mechanism associated with the dispensing container and the housing, the actuation mechanism being configured to displace the piston towards the base, thereby dispensing the hair dye through the at least one dispensing aperture, wherein the actuation mechanism includes a conversion mechanism for converting a unidirectional rotational input to a reciprocating linear displacement, the conversion mechanism being configured such that, for a given rate of rotation of the rotational input, a speed of the reciprocating linear displacement is asymmetric, motion in a first direction being at least one order of magnitude slower than motion in an opposite direction.